


The Black Widow Sisters

by wordyturtle



Series: The Black Mamba [1]
Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, F/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Red Room (Marvel), Spies & Secret Agents, Undercover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-20 00:53:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16545668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordyturtle/pseuds/wordyturtle
Summary: “I found another one,” Natasha said.Steve looked up from his sketchpad. “A HYDRA cell?”“No, a Black Widow.”Clint swore and bolted upright. He locked eyes with Natasha."I want to bring her in as an asset," she said.Clint has turned a Red Room operative before--he can do it again. But adjusting to life as one of the good guys isn't easy.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Set after The Winter Soldier.  
> Constructive critiques, suggestions, and corrections are welcome!

Natasha burst into the common room, dressed in her full tactical uniform. The other Avengers, sprawled around in various states of relaxation, all tensed at her sudden appearance.

Natasha’s eyes scanned the scene in a heartbeat. She knew where he was, but she couldn’t see him. “Barton!” she snapped

Clint’s hands shoot up from the couch in surrender. “I didn’t do it!”

At any other time, Natasha would have rolled her eyes. “I found another one,” she said.

Steve looked up from his sketchpad. “A HYDRA cell?”

“No, a Black Widow.”

Clint swore and bolted upright. He locked eyes with Natasha. “Where?”

“Another Black Widow?” Bruce echoed, his eyebrows pinched.

Natasha ignored him, her eyes still on Clint. “London, but she won’t be there long. I want to pick her up.”

“I’ll grab my gear.” Clint bounded up and out of the room.

Steve rose as well. “Natasha, what—”

“I’m sorry, Cap, but this is just a quick in and out. Clint and I can handle it.”

“How long?”

“I should know within 24 hours.” She turned and dashed after Clint.

“Another Black Widow?” Bruce asked again, his mouth hanging open. “How are there more of her?”

Steve crossed his arms. “The Red Room trained lots of girls. I just didn’t know there were any alive.”

“So she has a sister?”

“A comrade, at least,” Tony said. “But is she heading out for a tearful reunion or a kill shot?”

“Sir,” JARVIS sounded,” A quinjet has just launched with Miss Romanoff and Mr. Barton on board.”

“Get them on coms,” Steve ordered.

Instantly, Clint’s lazy drawl came through the speakers. “Sorry to run off like this.” He didn’t sound sorry at all. “We should be back in a day or so. Try not to destroy the city while we’re gone.”

“What’s your plan?”

“Well, Nat thinks—”

“I want to bring her in as an asset,” Natasha’s voice burst out.

Within Avenger’s Tower, three sets of eyebrows rose.

“Don’t worry, Cap,” Clint said cheerfully. “I’ve done this before.”

 

When Natasha and Clint called again the next day, it put the team on high alert. After JARVIS informed them of the quinjet’s landing, the Avengers gathered in the common room. Steve stood facing the elevator, Tony was at the bar, and Bruce took a seat on the couch.

The elevator pinged, and everyone froze.

The door slid open to reveal Natasha and Clint with a beautiful blonde woman sandwiched between them. She wore perfectly cut jeans and a dangerous smile. With the two returning Avengers still in their tactical suits, she almost looked like a prisoner. But prisoners never looked so comfortable among the Avengers.

“Well, don’t you all look happy to see us,” Natasha drawled. “Guys, this is Ira. We grew up together.”

“You mean in spy-sassin school?” Tony said. “Is that even her real name?”

The blonde stepped forward. “My full name is Irina Mikhaelovna Alexei.” Her voice was creamy. “I don’t want to cause any trouble between you. I want to help in your hunt for HYDRA.” Steve opened his mouth, but she waved a hand. “Oh, everyone knows it. I have fresh sources you may find useful.”

“Why? What’s in it for you?” Steve asked.

“I said she could stay here for a while,” Natasha said. “And she’s agreed to follow the rules.”

Irina stroked the long braid that hung over her shoulder. “I really appreciate the hospitality, and I promise not to go sneaking where I don’t belong.”

“How can we be sure of that?” Tony asked, jerking his chin up. “You are a spy, after all.”

“Of course. But Mr. Stark, you have the most advance security system in the world. Besides, Natasha has already found me once. I don’t want her hunting me down again.” She looked up at Steve with pleading eyes. “I’d rather not go back to running from HYDRA either, Captain. And to be honest, I’m intrigued by what Natasha has told me about her new life. She speaks very highly of you.”

Steve shifted his weight. “You’re doing this out of curiosity?”

“I’m doing this because it is in our mutual interest. And I’m a bit bored with my current employment.”

Steve raised his eyebrows and looked to Natasha. The redhead cocked one sculpted eyebrow in return. He looked to Clint, who nodded slightly.

“Well, I’m sure you must be tired after your trip. Natasha, will you get her settled in one of the open suites?”

Irina’s face broke into a brilliant smile. She took Steve’s large hand in both of hers. “Thank you.” Her grey eyes scanned the room. “All of you.”

Natasha led her away. Once the two women were gone, Steve turned to Clint.

“Do you really think this is a good idea? She could be playing us?”

“She’s _definitely_ playing us,” Tony said. “The way she looked at you, Cap…it’s all a game to her.”

“But why would Nat vouch for her then?” Bruce said.

Clint was shaking his head. “Irina’s in deeper than even Nat was when I brought her into SHIELD. But she was surprisingly candid just now. I listened to them talking all the way back. I think she honestly wants to know what life as a good guy is like.”

“We can trust Natasha,” Bruce said. “She would understand her better than anyone.”

Natasha walked back in. “Ira’s settled and locked in. JARVIS will let us know if she tries to leave.”

“So you think she will?” Tony said.

“No, I think you think she will.”

“How did you even find her?” Bruce asked.

Natasha flopped down on the couch. “Whispers. I didn’t even know she was alive until recently. Most of the spy community thought she was me.” She winced. “I’m the famous Widow, unfortunately. Her specialty is deep cover work. I hadn’t seen her since the Red Room, but when I heard the stories I recognized the training. I found her at the same time HYDRA did. She could either come with us or go with them.”

“At least we know she’s not with HYDRA,” Clint said. “She could have handed us over to them.”

“No,” Bruce shook his head, forehead creased with worry. “If she’s an undercover master, she could be playing us all.”

“She’s a risk,” Steve said.

“That’s an understatement,” Tony muttered.

Natasha sighed and rubbed her head. “She’s just like me before I joined SHIELD.”

“Do you think she’ll turn like you did?” Steve asked.

Clint nodded, but Natasha hesitated. “She’s older than I was. More established.”

“But that’s really why you brought her in, isn’t it?”

The redhead nodded. “I told her it wasn’t too late to do some good with her skills. She said she would be willing to try it. It’s part of our agreement: under our roof, she acts like one of us.”

There was a beat of silence.

“Well, it’s worked before!” Clint said.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Natasha and Clint walked into the gym with Irina in tow. Steve tried to ignore them, but their low conversation carried in the big room.

“This place is posh,” Irina said. “I haven’t been in a real training gym in _years_.”

“One of the perks of the job,” Clint said.

“You’ve been in the UK too long, Alexei,” Natasha teased. “Nobody says ‘posh’ here.”

“I thought I wasn’t supposed to be undercover with you, _Romanoff_. Do you do enough fieldwork to really keep sharp?”

“Only one way to find out.” Natasha waved a hand to the mat in the center of the floor.

Irina’s responding grin was feral. “After warm-up.”

When they were ready, Clint made himself referee. Then the two women faced off, barely seeming to breathe. Natasha struck, but Irina had already whirled away. They circled slowly, each attack a test of the opponent. Irina’s leg swept the mat. Natasha jumped, and they both rolled. The blows and blocks and escapes began to fly, until the two women were a whirl of motion.

Steve gave up any pretense of exercise. He stood by Clint at the edge of the mat.

Clint monitored them with tight eyes. They were tiring. Natasha was slowing. Blows began landing.

Suddenly, an arm tightened around the redhead’s neck. Irina had her in a headlock. Steve began to clap, but the two combatants held rigid. Irina was staring into space, her expression flat and vacant.

Natasha didn’t struggle. Slowly, she tapped twice on the arm around her throat. “Ira…” she choked out.

Irina didn’t move.

Clint stepped forward and barked, “Alexei, release!”

Irina sprang back with a gasp. For a moment, her eyes were wild. Then they emptied completely and she turned away.

“Nat used to flashback too,” Clint called. Irina froze midstep. “Freeze up like that. It was the Mistress, wasn’t it?”

Irina turned on her heel. “You told him?” she hissed at Natasha.

The redhead was panting with her hands braced on her knees. “It was the only thing that helped me get over it,” Natasha said. “You’re right, being in a gym…it’s strange. Brings up the memories.”

“Is someone going to explain what just happened?” Steve said, arms crossed over his chest.

Natasha looked at Irina, inviting. The blonde raised her chin.

“Every fight in the Red Room only ended at the Mistress’s command: kill or release.”

“Crazy old bat,” Clint muttered.

Irina ignored him. “Natasha has been free of her longer than I have. I am sorry.”

She turned back and vanished into the locker room.

 

Irina was sitting on the floor with her back against the lockers, twirling a thin knife in her fingers. Natasha slid down beside her.

“Sorry I nearly killed you.” Irina began.

Natasha’s mouth twisted. “Yeah, that stung a bit. But it’s only day one. Things will get better.”

Irina snorted and flipped the knife. “I’ve never blown a cover so fast.”

“This isn’t a cover, remember?”

Irina looked at Natasha with disbelieving eyebrows.

“Okay, but at least they’ll trust you more now.”

Irina chuckled and flipped the knife a few times in quick succession. “It will take a long time for them to trust me.”

“You might be surprised.”

They sat in silence for a moment before Natasha spoke again.

“Reconditioning took me months, Ira. I understand if you want to leave. But I promise, it’s worth it. The Avengers… well, we’re a mess, honestly, but it’s like having a family.”

Irina stared at the silver blade balanced on her fingertip. After a moment, Natasha stood. She was almost out the door when she heard Irina whisper the familiar, time-worn recitation.

“I have no place in this world.”

Natasha looked over her shoulder. “You could, sister.”

 

When Irina joined Natasha and Clint for lunch, it was like the morning’s incident had never happened. Clint joked around and they swapped mission stories. Their laughter brought Steve in, and then Bruce, and eventually the meal turned into a fully-staffed meeting about HYDRA.

“What about the Winter Soldier?” Irina asked. “I hear you’re looking for him.”

Everyone stilled, their eyes turning to Steve.

“Yes,” he said, trying not to sound stiff. “Do you know anything about him?”

“I know him.”

“The metal-arm guy?” Tony asked. “Do all super spy-ssassins know each other?”

Natasha cracked a smile. “Basically.”

“I don’t know where he is currently,” Irina explained. She glanced sidelong at Natasha, whose face was a blank mask. “I haven’t seen him in years.”

Steve was having a harder time concealing his emotions. Disappointment and eagerness rolled across his face in equal measure. “Let’s talk about this later. I’ve gotta go see a friend.”

He was gone before anyone could protest. Natasha and Irina slipped away soon after.

“Nice play,” Natasha said once they were in the hallway. “You’ve found your in.”

Irina shook her head in disbelief. “I’d heard rumors but hadn’t believed it. Captain America loves the Winter Soldier.” She looked at Natasha and a wicked smile spread across her lips. “You’re right. This is a fun place to play.”

 

JARVIS invited Irina and Natasha to a meeting with Captain Rogers that afternoon. He was waiting for them in a conference room with a trim black man lounging beside him. They both stood when the women entered.

“Irina, this is Sam. He’s helping me look for Bucky.”

Irina shook his offered hand and beamed under his smile. “Please, call me Ira.”

“Pleasure to meet you. Any friend of Cap’s is a friend of mind.”

“He said we were friends?” Irina glanced at Steve with humble pleasure.

“If you can help me find Bucky, we are,” Steve said, turning them back to business. They all took seats around the table.

“I suppose I had better tell you the whole story,” Irina began. She examined her clasped hands, every set of eyes in the room trained on her face. “After Natasha was graduated from the Red Room, training got worse. She was the best they had ever seen, and nobody else measured up. So they started doing experiments, trying to enhance us.”

Natasha stiffened, and Steve flexed his jaw. Sam was staring at Irina in wide-eyed alarm.

 “I was lucky,” Irina continued without looking up. “By the time they used their formula on me, they had the bugs pretty well worked out. It made me faster, made my body easier to control. Pain tolerance, micro expressions, vitals…training had never been easier. So they made it harder. They brought in Barnes. We just called him the Soldier.”

“He _trained_ you?” Sam asked.

Irina nodded. “We worked together for a few months, between his missions. I know his weaknesses. I can help you find him.”

“I know Bucky better than anyone—" Steve began.

 “You know the man,” Natasha cut him off. “She knows the Soldier.”

Irina looked Steve in the eye. “I have watched them wipe his mind. I don’t know if it’s possible to override all that programming.”

“He recognized Steve,” Sam said. “Saved his life.”

This was news to Irina, and she showed her surprise. “Then maybe you do have a chance.”

Steve stood and rolled out a world map. “We have to find him first.”

The map was marked with colored circles, arrows, and red X’s.  Steve, with Sam’s occasion input, explained their process and what they had pieced together about Barnes’s movements. It was precious little to go on.


	3. Chapter 3

“So why do you use knives anyway?” Sam asked Irina. “Natasha uses guns.”

They were alone in the operation control room, going over Sam’s intel on Barnes again.

“Well, knives are easy to conceal, good for close quarters, can also work distances, and are quite multi-purpose,” she explained.

“Multi-purpose?”

“I can kill a man, incapacitate him, torture him, or cut my steak.”

Sam blinked. “That’s…gruesomely practical. Do you like Chinese? We might be here a while.”

Irina cracked a smile and nodded.

Their meetings always went similarly. Sam would ask Irina random questions, they would work on crossing locations off the map, and then break for take-out. She tried to be honest, and it was a refreshing to work with someone who thought aloud. They discussed everything from the strangeness of Avengers Tower to the mechanics of Sam’s wingpack.

Sam was easy to work with, but not all the Avengers were so accommodating. Clint had made it his personal mission to help Irina adjust. After a few weeks of watching her train solo in the gym, he got impatient. While she was working with her throwing knives, he shot an arrow into the center of her target. She whirled and knocked the next arrow aside with a knife. Another blade went flying; the pommel struck the grip of Clint’s bow.

Clint grinned and charged across the floor toward her. She met him on the mat. After a brief scuffle, Clint was flat on his back with a knife at his throat. Irina let him up immediately. Across the room, Steve began to clap.

“That was so stupid, Barton,” Irina said with a scowl.

Clint’s laugh came out as a wheeze. “Didn’t you know? That’s my specialty.”

“I could have killed you!”

“You can kill anyone you want, Ira. But you didn’t. Thanks for that.”

“Hey, can I have a go?” Steve asked, walking toward them.

Irina rolled her eyes but slid into a ready stance.

 

Natasha was watching with hands on hips when Steve finally called an end to the match. Both he and Irina were dripping sweat.

“So you really ready to train now, Alexei?”

Irina looked up at Natasha, hands braced on her knees. “I won’t fight you, sister.”

“No, I think you’re due for a polygraph.”

Irina grinned with real delight. She straightened. “Lead the way, Romanova. I hold the record for youngest student to pass one.”

“Yeah, and you cheat,” Natasha said.

“Isn’t that the point?”

They made their way to the lab, where Tony was tinkering with a bundle of wires. Bruce was standing in front of an array of monitors on the other side of the room.

“You got that program all set up?” Natasha asked.

“Of course,” Tony said.

“I think so,” said Bruce, squinting through his glasses. “It works on me, at least.” He held up his hand, showing the elastic band that wrapped around his wrist. “This monitors your vitals, and JARVIS interprets the data. It’s similar to a standard polygraph machine, but without the mess of wires.”

Irina nodded.  “Where do you want me?”

“Uh, right there is fine.” He waved at a stool. She sat down and held out her wrist. Bruce slipped on the monitor band. “Okay, we need to establish your baseline.”

“So answer honestly, I know.”

“Natasha, do you want to…?”

“What’s your full name?” Natasha asked Irina. Bruce turned to watch the monitors with Tony.

“Irina Mikhaelovna Alexei.”

“Where are you from?”

“Russia.”

“Where were you trained?”

“The Red Room.”

“Who’s the sexiest Avenger?” Tony interrupted. Irina turned her head to stare at him scathingly.

“Still establishing baseline…” Bruce warned.

“Natasha,” Irina said.

The redhead grinned. “What color is the sky?”

“Blue.”

“Who is the most irritating Avenger?”

“Tony.”

“Baseline set,” Bruce said.

“Time to lie,” Natasha grinned.

After Irina fooled her first polygraph, Natasha had her answer the questions while moving, then throwing knives. Tony and Bruce made the monitor bracelet more sensitive, but Irina still won. Natasha passed a few tests as well, but couldn’t do it while multi-tasking like Irina could. Eventually Bruce calibrated the machine to notice if her vital were _too_ even. It took her a few tried to beat that system. It became a game to the team, each taking turns interviewing Irina. She kept her body signals firmly in control and lied smoothly every time.


	4. Chapter 4

After a several weeks, the Avengers were called into action.

“Avengers assemble,” JARVIS called coolly. “Emergency notification: code yellow.”

“Something about an invasion of giant turtles?” Clint said, a headset pressed to one ear. “Hard to make out.”

Steve sighed and rolled his neck. “Great. Thor’s gone, so I want all hands on deck. We don’t know what were getting into. Alexei, can we count you in?”

Irina began checking the straps of her sheaths. “Of course, Captain.”

“Good. Widow—wait, Ira needs her own codename if she’s going into the field. We can’t call you both Black Widow.”

“Why not just use our names?” Natasha muttered.

 “Black…Panther?” Clint suggested.

“No, something feminine, Barton!” Tony said.

“Black Mamba,” Bruce said quietly. “One of the fastest and most deadly snakes in the world. Dendrotoxins in the venom paralyze the victim from the inside out.”

Natasha grinned. “Perfect.”

“Isn’t Mamba a candy?” Tony muttered.

Irina shrugged, secretly pleased with the name for both reasons. “Works for me.”

 

Thor arrived as soon as the messy skirmish was over. His booming voice and friendly face seemed to be expecting a grander welcome. “My friends! It appears I missed the battle!”

The Avengers gathered around slowly, picking their way over mutant corpses.

“That’s okay,” Tony said, sliding back his faceplate. “You can handle dinner. I’m thinking pizza?”

“And beer!” Clint called as he collected arrows.

“Make it vodka,” Irina muttered. Natasha picked up a knife from the ground and tossed it to her.

“Welcome back, Thor,” Steve said. “It’s good to see you.”

“And you! I see you have added to our ranks in my absence?”

“This is Irina. She’s—”

“Not an Avenger,” Irina said. “Just backup.”

They hauled themselves back to the Tower and got cleaned up. After the pizza arrived, most of the team ended up nearly catatonic on the couch. Clint took control of the remote and channel surfed on the huge flat-screen television. He paused on a news station.

 “Whoa, guys, look at this!” The screen was full of a fuzzy picture of a man in a red bodysuit with horns. The caption read _Vigilante in Hell’s Kitchen_.

“Trying to hard!” Tony declared and took a swig of his drink.

“Yeah, red armor is a bit over the top,” Clint agreed. Tony flipped him off.

“I’ve heard of this guy!” Sam said. “They call him Daredevil.”

Steve frowned. “Vigilante? Should we stop him, or is he worth recruiting?”

“JARVIS, whatcha got?” Tony asked. Several news clippings took over the screen, complete with photos and drawings of the vigilante Daredevil.

“He could at least be an asset,” Natasha said. “I can look into it.”

Irina took a swig of vodka and studied the drawings closely. Now that she was in far enough to do Avengers field work, maybe it was time for the next step. A date with the devil could be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Irina's adventures in New York continue in Part 2, A Date with the Devil! A much longer work, coming soon!
> 
> Thanks for reading! As always, your feedback is welcome.


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